


A Brand New Start

by LadyPaigeC



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2017 [31]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 31 Days of Ficmas, F/M, New Beginnings, New Year's Eve, Party, Relationship Resolutions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 00:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13329807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPaigeC/pseuds/LadyPaigeC
Summary: The Doctor resolves to move his and Rose's relationship forward in the New Year.





	A Brand New Start

**Author's Note:**

> Written for doctorroseprompts 31 Days of Ficmas on Tumblr (day 31 - new beginnings). Yay! I finally finished. A bit late, but I got them all out. Whew.
> 
> Also written with another doctorrosepromtp in mind: Rose and Tentoo take the next step in their relationship near or on New Year’s Day.

The Doctor squeezed Rose’s hand tightly as she spoke with a good looking coworker at her mother’s New Year's party. She didn’t pause in her conversation, but she did send a pointed look and a raised eyebrow in his direction. 

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his free hand. 

He knew that he and Rose were together. Knew that others knew they were together, but he couldn’t help worrying that things hadn’t...progressed quite as much as they should have done. It had only been a couple of months since Bad Wolf Bay, but he thought by now they’d be engaged in more _togetherness._

He let the melodic lilt of her voice wash over him while she talked to Jim or Tim or Scott from Accounting. 

It's not that he didn't want to be with her, but he’d been so bloody nervous at the beginning. He didn’t have the same control over this body as he did in his previous one. He hadn’t wanted Rose to know just how badly he needed her. It seemed ridiculous now, but he’d pushed them back into the comfortable old Doctor/Rose relationship that they’d had before their separation. They were best friends who worked together keeping Pete’s World safe from alien threats while waiting for their TARDIS to finish growing. They lived together and slept in the same bed. They hugged and now sometimes kissed, but never progressed to anything more than that. 

Frankly it was killing him, if it was possible for one to die of sexual frustration. He only had this one life and he didn’t want to squander it even though he felt like he was doing just that. If he was being honest, he’d hoped Rose would have taken a bit of control, but she was following his lead. And he was a giant coward.

He straightened his shoulders and resolved to change things. New Year. New man. New attitude. This was a time for them to make a fresh start. 

Rose swung to face him and untangled their hands. “Now what was all that about?”

“I don’t-”

“When I was talkin’ to Neil.”

“Oh! His name’s Neil.” Rose crossed her arms and glared. “Right, erm, not really the important part, is it?” The Doctor tugged on his ear.

“Doctor, what’s goin’ on?”

“Nothi-” He stopped himself and sighed. “No, that’s not quite true. Rose, I...I, erm...”

Rose’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“What? No! No, the opposite.”

“The opposite? The opposite of breaking up is not breaking up and we’re already not broken up.”

The Doctor stepped forward and took Rose’s hands between his own. “But we’re not exactly together. Well, we’re together, but we’re not _really_ together...really, _really_ together. Well, together in the way that-”

“Doctor. Breathe.” Rose was having trouble keeping the amusement off her face.

The Doctor took a deep breath. “I...I want us...to move our relationship forward.”

Rose whispered as if afraid of the answer, “Are you finally ready?”

He snapped his mouth closed and nodded. 

“You’re sure?”

He met her eyes and nodded again.

“Finally.” She dragged him down by the lapels and snogged him. 

A large cheer erupted in the room and they pulled apart with wide eyes and red cheeks. 

“Happy New Year, Rose! Doctor.” Jackie kissed them both before moving on to her other guests.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other and broke out into gales of laughter. 

“So...since no one is actually paying us any attention, what do you say we retire to our room for the night?” Rose ran her hand up and down the Doctor’s chest.

He had to clear his throat before he could answer. “They do say you should begin the New Year as you mean to go on.”

“Do they? Well then, we better get goin’ ‘cos I’ve got lots of plans for you.”

The Doctor grinned delightedly and waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, do you?”

“Shut up.” Rose wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him forward into a kiss.

Someone drunkenly shouted, “Get a room.”

“You heard what Fred, erm, Frank from R&D said. Let’s go get a room.” The Doctor grabbed her hand and asked, “Run?”

Rose laughed with joy and the two headed for the staircase.

Jackie shook her head and turned to Pete. “Nutters. The both of ‘em.”


End file.
